As part of MayFest, we were to demonstrate field skills and
give audience members the opportunity to try their hands (and
feet) at techniques. However, because of the inclement
weather, we adjusted the activity to a indoor Q & A session.
Our seniors also discussed their Integrated Management projects
during MayFest's poster presentation in the Carrier Dome.

MayFest is a joint S. U.—SUNY- ESF,
campus-wide, multi-venue event highlighting the wide diversity of student
creative works on the campuses. It is a day-long, continuous and
simultaneous series of student performances, presentations, displays,
screenings and other activities in a “festival” atmosphere. This was
the second year of the program.

As part of the campus' Earth Week festivities, and in early
celebration of Arbor Day, SAF coordinated a forestry
skills competency competition and trivia contest, with
participants vying for gift certificates to Eastern Mountain
Sports and Small
Stores. SAF members were stationed across the Quad to
offer tutorials, answer questions, and encourage students from all majors
to enter the contest. Note: in New York, as in many of its
neighboring states, Arbor Day falls on the last Friday in April.

Far Left: Natural
Resources Management major Mike Tripodi (seated at table)
administers the trivia portion of the competition. Left:
Lise Comartin and Kayla Paschel take a break after ensuring the
stations are all ready to go; in Kayla's hand left hand is a
BAF-10 prism. In her right is one of the
Faculty of Forest and Natural Resource Management's hand crafted
"short-reach Biltmore sticks," affectionately dubbed a "Bilt-less."
The commercial version of the hypsometer requires an arm length
of at least 25"; these, however, were made in a variety of
lengths the old fashioned way in order to accommodate more
petite members of the class. Right: Forest
Engineering
student Meghan Scott receives instruction in setting a compass
prior to attempting the compass and pacing portion of the
competition. Far right: Water resources major
Derek Pursell works on the topographic map section. In the
foreground are identified soil samples; competitors may compare
these to their unknowns to assist in their classification.

A few of us joined Dr. Sally Fairfax, Henry J.
Vaux Distinguished Professor of Forest Policy, and
Associate Dean, Instruction and Student Affairs, College of
Natural Resources, University of California-Berkeley to further
discuss land trusts and conservation easements, and for
some old-fashioned mentoring. Dr. Fairfax was on campus to
deliver the keynote address at the combined 23rd Annual C.E.
Farnsworth Fellowship Ceremony/Women in Scientific and
Environmental Professions Lecture Series. We congratulate
the honored Fellows (Diane Kiernan, John Munsell, and Brandon
Vickery), all active members of ESF-SAF.

Dr. Nancy Grulke, a physiological ecologist and Project
Leader, Atmospheric Deposition on Western Ecosystems, at the
Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, in
Riverside, California, met with us over dinner to discuss her
Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions lecture "Air
pollution and the Californian Wildfires: an insidious
link."

Dr. Grulke began investigating ozone specifically after it
consistently appeared as a significant variable in observational
studies. She found that high levels of ozone are
correlated to sluggish stomatal responses in sensitive species
like Ponderosa pine. Trees continue to transpire at night,
making them more susceptible to drought, and thus at greater
risk for fires. Further, trees in highly polluted areas
are retaining needles for much shorter periods of time (only one
year in the most polluted sites), and have reduced fine roots.
As a result, trees have less photosynthate, and with less root
mass for storage, reallocate storage to the boles. Trees
end up short and fat, with thicker litter layers beneath them,
with skewed c:n ratios (and subsequent changes in the microfauna
to break it down) and more susceptible to bark beetles,
especially in the wet years following several years of drought.
This is a a very common weather pattern in the montane forests
of southern California. Other atmospheric pollutants can
act as fertilizers, further altering growth patterns. Also
associated with these changes is a shift in species to white
fir, which is of considerably less commercial value because of
its higher pitch content.

She also shared her concern that ozone is often ignored in
models, despite its prevalence (more than twice pre-industrial
rates, with predicted increase of 3x pre-industrial rates by
2020, and large areas of the country with levels regularly high
enough to restrict outdoor activities) and higher concentrations
than carbon dioxide (~1.6 times pre-industrial rates).

We distributed flyers to houses, and picked up trash along the
utility strip on the 100-400 blocks of Ostrom Avenue. Gloves and plastic bags were be provided by Syracuse
University's Office of Off-Campus Student Services, which coordinates the
program. "The point of the
Adopt-a-Street program is for student organizations to make a positive
impact in their community and ultimately to improve the quality of life in
the neighborhood." The program is expected to improve
communication and collaboration between the temporary student
and the resident populations that share the University
neighborhoods. We will revisit our assigned blocks
monthly throughout the academic year.

Resource professionals are often called upon as informal
educators regarding an array of environmental questions.
With this in mind, NYPLT facilitators John
Graham (NYDEC, Cortland) and Heather Engelman (ESF graduate
student and member of ESF-SAF) shared fun, interactive, age-appropriate, inexpensive activities
that we could use to share what we do and why we do it. And
since teachers look for ways to make their classes more active
and interactive without breaking their budget, teachers from Westhill CSD, The New School,
Jowonio School, and SU Early Education and Childcare Center also
participated in this two-evening long workshop.

Top left: Marta Loomis, Westhill CSD,
and Beth Portuese, ESF Forest Policy MS student observe
their adopted tree. Top middle: ESF environmental education MS student
Emily DeBolt creates a bark rubbing in her study of eastern
larch. Top right: Workshop facilitator and NYDEC Forester John Graham
walks participants through a dichotomous key to identify
a red maple. Bottom left: Julie Thomas and Mary Piron, both
of the Syracuse University Early Education and Childcare
Center; Heather Engelman, ESF silviculture PhD candidate and
workshop facilitator; Rebecca Dwyer, The New School; and
Hope Kuniholm, SU Early Education and Childcare Center, try
to illustrate the connections between the organisms large
and small that they might find in the forest.
Bottom middle: Mary Cunningham, SU Early Education and
Childcare Center, and Kendra Harper, Jowonio School, read a
story. Bottom right: Environmental education MS students Mary Ewers and
Josh Conway search through their new guides to find
activities that could feature a tree cookie.

This workshop, with commentary by Engelman, Harper, Jennifer
Holland (elementary school teacher), and Mike Tripodi (ESF
undergraduate) was featured in the April 2006 Forestry Source.
Click here for the PDF.

We thank University Police for their assistance with
parking, the Syracuse and Central New York Teacher's Centers and Enviromail for
posting the information to their members, John Wagner for
arranging CFE credit, NYPLT and ESF-SAF for snacks, Forest
Properties for providing a northern cedar tree cookie "coaster"
for each participant, NYDEC for releasing John early each day for his trip
to campus, and NYPLT for subsidizing $10 of each person's
registration/materials fee.

Guest
Speaker, Dan Shults, (FNRM '71), on issues and
opportunities in the Northwest, February 28, 2006

Dan Shults (FNRM '71)
discussed “Forest Policy Issues in the Pacific Northwest" in Dr.
Malmsheimer’s Natural Resources Administrative Law class, which was opened
to all for the session. Mr. Shults then met with SAF and
others to discuss
"Job Opportunities
with the Oregon Department of Forestry" and general
trends and issues in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Schults is the ODF’s Southern Oregon
Area Director. He is responsible for administering all Department programs
in the Southern Oregon Area. This Area covers seven counties in southwestern
Oregon and includes five administrative Districts, management of the 95,000
acre Elliott State Forest near Coos Bay, and the D.L Phipps Forest Nursery.Back to Top

Remediation of Onondaga Lake, February 21- 22 2006

Part I: Political and Social History
of Onondaga Lake's Remediation, featuring Richard Smardon,
SUNY-ESF; Sam Sage, Atlantic States Legal Foundation; and John
McAuliffe, Honeywell. Part II: The Science Behind
Onondaga Lake's Remediation-- sediment and lake chemistry,
developing long term monitoring programs, etc., with Don
Hughes,Onondaga Lake Cleanup Corporation; and Myrna Hall and
Dave Matthews, both of SUNY-ESF. This two-part
series was organized and sponsored by the American Water
Resources Association.

Several of our student leaders were selected
to participate in NYSAF's Leadership Workshop that preceded
the conference. NYSAF Convention, Holiday Inn, Liverpool, NY.

Brandon Vickery Dani Frederick from ESF,
and a representative each from Paul
Smith's College and the NYS Ranger School served on a reverse panel--they asked questions of the audience
about the status of forestry jobs in New York State, how today's
professionals handle ethical questions (and what sorts of
questions they might face), and what students can do now and in
the future.
Nan Davis facilitated the discussion, while Kayla Pascal and
others
provided microphone assistance to the audience. Discussion
was lively, but truncated to15 minutes.

Five graduate
students also presented their research during the 2nd
Annual
Graduate Student Presentation portion of the convention, and
others prepared posters that were featured at Thursday
night's reception.

Nan Davis and Coraline Falco pictured above, and other
members also talked to practitioners about the ESF-SAF student
chapter, and found the new t-shirts to be
popular with foresters all across New York State.

While this event usually occurs just prior to Thanksgiving,
heavy courseloads encouraged moving this later in the semester. Mike Tripodi and housemates hosted the annual
potluck supper, this year celebrating the
winter-holiday-of-your-choice. Back to Top

Conversation with Jamie Savage, NYSAF Chair-Elect
(November 21, 2005)

Mr. Jamie Savage discussed student participation
in SAF, specifically at the upcoming NYSAF Winter Meeting
specifically. In addition to our usual assistance with
logistics, NYSAF would like 4-5 students representing different
schools to sit on a panel, most likely on the morning of Feb. 2.
For more information about this panel, please review the minutes
of the meetings on Nov. 21, and the follow-up discussion on Nov.
21 here.

Mr. Savage is a graduate of ESF, earning a BS
(Resources Management) in 1986 and a MS (Silviculture). He
had previously earned an AAS at Paul Smith's College (1984).
He is currently an Associate Professor at the New York State
Ranger School in Wanakena, NY.

ESF-SAF hosted a viewing and discussion of the
Forest Service's Centennial Film. Dr. Dave Nowak, Project
Leader for the Forest Service Office in Syracuse, introduced the
film and facilitated the discussion. Snacks were
provided, and several classes offered extra credit for
attendance.

http://www.fs.fed.us/greatestgood/

Tree
planting and community assistance, November 12-13, 2005

What a glorious November weekend here in
Syracuse! This was the best weather yet for our outdoor
projects!

Tree planting on the south side of the city with
Cornell Cooperative Extension(see map) on November 12. Here's a pat on the back from CCE's
Stephen Harris: "The SAF crew is always high energy and great to work
with."

And on Sunday, November 13, we continued
planting with the Outer Comstock Neighborhood Association
and then headed to Ed Smith Elementary School (corner of
Lancaster Ave and Broad St) for brush clearing and trail
maintenance.

Good times were
had by all. The ESF Quizbowl team bested at least 50% of
the challengers and did especially well in the silviculture
category, and Nan Davis accepted the website award for us. Nan
and others had good conversation with Craig Vollmer, NYS-SAF
Chapter President about ESF student involvement in the NYSAF
meeting in February. Also, great exposure to job opportunities
at all levels in all sectors including private, local, state and
federal positions. Good networking opportunities. Very
insightful question sessions. By some counts there were between
300 and 400 students at the Convention, with very good
representation of women foresters from ESF. Thanks to ESF-SAF
for convention scholarships. Next year’s convention is in
Pittsburgh, close enough for high ESF-SAF attendance.In the mean
time, consider joining one of the SAF working groups.Back to Top

Memorial Grove Maintenance/Freshman Field Trip, October 8, 2005

Spent a cold, rainy day outside,
had fun
with friends, and learned a little bit about conifer and hardwood plantation silviculture
along the way. "That was an excellent display of commitment put to
test by really terrible weather!" reports Nan. We
received a Thank You letter from Dr. Nowak expressing his
appreciation for our assistance with the Field Trip. Back to Top

Website
ties for second place!

"The
SUNY/ESF SAF Student Chapter tied for SECOND PLACE
in the SAF Student Chapter Website contest. The other 2nd
Place winner is Penn State University in University Park,
Pennsylvania.

Your
Student Chapter’s website – and your school’s SAF Student
Chapter – are both awesome! The Chapter did a fantastic
job, as usual, and should feel very proud of themselves.
This was an extremely close contest this year, as was the
SAF Outstanding Student Chapter contest.

The
student awards will be presented during the National
Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, at National Assembly on
Friday, October 21st at 2:30 p.m. in the Ballroom
A/B/C of the convention center."

Dani Frederick narrated a
brief powerpoint presentation highlighting the chapters
activities over the last few years, and Lise Comartin, Nate
Anderson, Nan Davis, and Dr. Germain touted the benefits of
membership in the student chapter. Make-you-own
sundaes were a tangible, and tasty, reinforcement that while
we work hard, we have fun, too.